


you can lay with me so it doesn’t hurt

by kbirb



Series: Wolfsong Vday Exchange for Van [1]
Category: Green Creek Series - T.J. Klune
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Alternate Universe - Spy, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Rarepair, spy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-12
Updated: 2018-02-12
Packaged: 2019-03-17 03:30:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13650522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbirb/pseuds/kbirb
Summary: When Carter and Ox are sent on a spy mission, everything goes to shit. In that it goes really well and they execute their fake relationship flawlessly. The only snag is Ox is legitamately head over heels for his best friend/spy partner.Nothing bad happens, this is pure fluff.





	you can lay with me so it doesn’t hurt

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PalmettoFoxDen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalmettoFoxDen/gifts).



> For our Wolfsong Server's Valentines Exchange!
> 
> A rarepair, Carter and Ox! I was really excited to see you suggested it in your answers! I hope you enjoy Van!

“We have a mission,” Carter said, sitting down at the table across from Ox in the headquarters’ lunchroom.

Ox sighed, putting down his fork. “What now?”

He’d just gotten back from a long operation, spying on a rival organization. After going through quite a bit to recover the plans, he thought he deserved a break. But Wolfsong, the spy agency he worked for, never gave out breaks.

“Turns out Richard’s defected to Omega.”

“How… expected.”

Carter snorted in reply.

“So what are we supposed to do about it?” Ox asked.

Richard was someone neither Ox nor Carter had met, but who was well known within Wolfsong. He’d been high enough in the ranks to be feared and respected but what he’d wanted was power. A few years back, before either boy was old enough to join, he’d been kicked out of the organization for trying to overthrow Thomas Bennett, Carter’s father. Since then, not much had been heard about him.

Carter explained the plan. Because they were the newest members of Wolfsong, Richard was least likely to know who they were. Though Carter looked enough like his father, with a few tweaks to his appearance, he should be able to slip by. They were to monitor Richard’s actions and determine whether or not he’d truly joined Omega. Omega was the most evil organization in the spy world, never to be trusted, and Wolfsong’s greatest rivals. Carter and Ox were to move into a house across the street from Richard, but the real kicker was…

“We’re supposed to pretend to date?”

Carter shrugged. “Hey dude, we’re already best friends. I figured it wouldn’t be too hard.”

“Carter, you’re straight.” Ox pointed out as gently as possible. “My bisexual ass is going to pull all the weight here.”

“Hey, I never confirmed I was straight,” Carter replied with a laugh. “Just probably.”

Ox put his face in his hands in exasperation. “When do we leave?”

\--

With some makeup magic from Gordo, the very man who’d convinced Ox to join the spy game in the first place, Carter was looking unlike his dad enough to pass. Gordo, or “the Raven” as he was known in the organization, explained the process to both boys so it could be replicated daily. Then, they’d gone for debriefing on the mission.

Moving in to the new house was interesting, as it had actually been left fully furnished, so everything they were carrying in was really just spy equipment that they needed to set up. Telescopes cleverly placed at windows to appear as though they greatly enjoyed stargazing. Cameras hidden in bushes with zoom. And they’d have to visit Richard himself to place microphones in his home.

“You’ll be sharing a bed,” the debriefer had explained. Usually Thomas debriefed on missions, but he’d apparently been so nervous about sending his son into the lion's den he’d sent Robbie Fontaine instead. “Because if any neighbors visit or if Richard gets suspicious, this needs to be flawless. Ox, you’ll be going by the name James Reed and you’re a computer programmer who works from home.” Ox nodded in reply. Wouldn’t be hard, he knew the agency would send him fake programs to tinker on, in case his computer was hacked. 

“As for Carter,” Robbie continued. “You’ll be going by Travis Summers, an independent artist. Time to put the skills you inherited from your mother to use. We’ve already packed away all the supplies you’ll need.”

It was clever, giving them jobs where they’d stay home all day, but Ox already knew Carter would drive him up a wall very quickly.

The problem was… he was already a little in love with his best friend. It was your typical tragic unrequited love, Ox knew this, but that was what made this mission so difficult for him. 

\---

The first week went by uneventfully. Neighbors dropped in, admired “Travis” and his art, asked “James” about his job, and talked about how having a gay couple in the neighborhood was “colorful” and “exciting” and how they hoped there might be a wedding in the future for the neighborhood to celebrate. Ox and Carter slept in the same bed, which was something they’d done sometimes before, but Carter seemed to be very dedicated to this fake dating thing, pulling Ox in close in the middle of the night. Ox always woke up first, untangling himself from Carter in a hurry and showering to get the sensation away.

It wasn’t until their second Saturday that Richard finally decided to stop in. They’d be sitting at the breakfast table, eating the eggs and bacon Ox had cooked up, when the doorbell rang. Ox checked his watch, which had a video feed of the front door, and mouthed “Richard” to Carter, who ran off to let the man in. 

Ox couldn’t hear what they were saying but soon Carter called out “James, honey, we have a visitor!”

“Well don’t be shy, babe, bring him on in!” They’d decided pet names were always the best way to convince someone you were dating.

So far, they’d gained little intel from Richard’s apartment and they knew they’d soon have to break in if they wanted to get anything. So they’d been carefully mapping out his schedule. He lived alone and kept himself very busy. He was going by “Matthew Abrams” and was posing as a accountant who worked in the nearby city, which was where they suspected Omega’s headquarters to be based. The other neighbors had commented on his solitude, so neither of them had actually ever expected him to stop in. It was making Ox nervous.

Carter walked into the room with a big smile on his face and Ox stood to shake Richard’s hand. He was tall and slender, but there was something that felt wrong about him. Something in the lines of his face or the squint of his eyes. He looked like the type of man who would join Omega, Ox decided.

“Matthew Abrams,” Richard said as a way of introduction.

“James Reed,” Ox replied, faking a smile. “Would you like some breakfast?”

Carter moved to put his hand on the small of Ox’s back and he had to suppress the shiver that threatened to course down his spine. “My boyfriend, so generous.”

Richard smiled at them; on anyone else it may have appeared to be fond bemusement but on him, it was the smile of a snake. Even if he didn’t know who they were, he couldn’t be trusted.

“I was just stopping by to meet the new neighbors, no need to feed me,” Richard replied, waving a hand. “It’s a rarity that this neighborhood gets anyone new, or so I’ve heard. I myself only moved in about a month ago.”

“How coincidental,” Ox said with a shrug. Carter’s hand still rested fondly on his back; Ox knew this was more to keep him calm than it was to play up the boyfriends act.

“I’m sure the neighborhood needed a shake up,” Carter added.

They made small talk for a while, Ox keeping an eye on all of Richard’s movements. He didn’t trust the other spy not to leave behind a bug of some sort. But the man didn’t touch anything, just stood and talked before excusing himself once more.

When Carter returned to the kitchen, they did a sweep nonetheless, and then slumped back down at the table to finish their meal.

“He doesn’t seem to know,” Carter commented. “Just playing up the friendly neighbor angle, I guess.”

Ox nodded. When he got up to wash off his dish, he fondly brushed a hand over Carter’s head. He’d cut off his long hair for the mission, leaving him with a dirty blonde undercut that Ox enjoyed playing with during their “couple” moments.

This time, his touch made Carter freeze and if Ox wasn’t mistaken, a blush started creeping up his neck. Ox had observed this moment from afar more than once, when a cute girl got to Carter. Had he made that happen?

\---

It was a month before Ox and Carter felt they knew Richard’s schedule well enough to break in to his home. They’d been collecting any recon they could, while still keeping up the appearances of a happy couple. Carter painted as often as possible and nosy neighbors would stop by to see them. Ox sat at the computer, pretending to tinker with programs but really just monitoring intel and reporting back to HQ. A few confirmed members of Omega had stopped by Richard’s home, caught by their cameras. They’d caught a few snippets of conversation, but the members never seemed to be stopping by to discuss work, unless they were talking in a code that Ox couldn’t figure out. Richard spent a lot of time on his computer though, so that was their main target, as well as the safe he kept next to it.

It was getting extremely easy to pretend to be a couple. He already knew everything there was to know about Carter, so it was really just the intimacy of a couple they needed to fake. Ox’s nightmares had practically gone away, sharing a bed with Carter. He’d had them since he was a child and his dad had left him. They had a routine down every day; they switched when they cooked and who cleaned. It was so pleasantly domestic that Ox didn’t think he ever wanted it to end.

The first time Carter kissed him, he’d startled. It actually wasn’t their first kiss. When they were younger, Carter had declared he needed to be the one to “pop your gay cherry!” Whatever that actually entailed, Ox’s first kiss had been with his best friend in Thomas’s run down Jeep they’d borrowed for the day.

But in this case, Ox hadn’t even considered kissing Carter for the couple facade. It had seemed… off limits in a way. Carter had to be the one to choose it. Ox was openly bisexual but he didn’t know what Carter wanted in life and he couldn’t just do that to him. But one day, they’d been out in the garden together and when Ox had stood up, Carter was in his space.

“Hey,” he’d said in surprise. Their noses were almost brushing.

“Hold still,” Carter had replied. And then he’d leaned in and his lips were so soft and Ox’s fingers found themselves grasping at the back of Carter’s head to deepen the kiss.

When they’d pulled away, they were both panting. One of the younger couples in the neighborhood, Kyle and Izzy, whooped loudly across the street, causing Carter to laugh.

“Why’d you do that?” Ox whispered.

“For show,” Carter had replied. “Or maybe for another reason.”

Ox couldn’t remember if Kyle and Izzy had been there before. He couldn’t figure out if he cared. 

They kissed a few times after that and Ox told himself it was always for show.

He really didn’t want this to end.

But everything always had to end and they had picked out a day the next week to break into Richard’s home. He always seemed to leave for work at the same time, but came home at different times each day. But Wednesdays were the day he was always gone.

\---

“You know,” Carter said, rolling over in bed to look at Ox. “This may be the most romantic thing done.”

Ox sat up with a yawn. “What are you even going on about?”

“We’re going on a mission together, as a couple, to break into our top enemy’s house on Valentine’s Day.”

“A fake couple.”

Carter’s smile faded. “Yeah. Sure.” He pulled himself up and shuffled into the bathroom to get ready.

They had an entire plan for it. A few weeks back, they’d started watering Richard’s flowers for him whenever they gardened. It became normal for any other work-from-home neighbors to see them cross over to his property, meaning no one would be suspicious if they let themselves into his home. They’d just assume Richard had given them a key to water his indoor flowers as well. By the time any of them would have time to ask him, they’d be long gone.

Ox still didn’t want this to end.

They got themselves ready and ate their breakfast. They would need to go through much of their daily routine, in case Richard changed up his schedule and came home early. Finally, they hit the part of their day where they often wound up out in the garden. 

Breaking in was the easiest part, they’d been able to hack into Richard’s security mainframe over at Wolfsong and had texted Carter the okay. With the system turned off and modern technology making lockpicking easy, they were inside in seconds. To a non-observant eye, it would seem as though Richard had truly given them a key.

Thomas had called ahead to warn they wouldn’t be able to access the camera’s to turn them off, so he’d sent them a device that could disable them at close range. Ox waited in Richard’s mudroom while Carter went ahead to find each camera. They’d brought along prosthetic masks as well that they’d wear when hacking into the computer.

From above, Carter thumped the floor three times, the signal that everything was all clear. Ox made his way up the stairs, keeping an eye out for any cameras his partner may have missed. But Carter was thorough as always, something he should have never doubted.

Hacking into the computer was a little bit harder. After applying the itchy mask, which made them both look like members of Omega who other spies had spotted routinely in their homes at this time of day, they had to make sure the computer contained the information that they needed. Ox was the mastermind with computers (supposedly, really he’d just been sent trainings from Thomas) and Carter’s nimble artist hands would be best with the safe.

Ox swallowed his anxiety and got to work. Carter hummed the song that had been playing at a recent neighborhood barbeque that he’d become obsessed with.

“Babe can you shut up?” Ox said and then froze as he processed what he’d said. He’d gotten so used to the couple facade he couldn’t break it, even during the most important and private part of their mission.

“Sure, snookie,” Carter said with a wicked and teasing grin.

Finally, they were both in. Carter had found documents in the safe and Ox had confirmed that there were encrypted files that likely held what they needed. Now, for the harder part: getting everything out without the neighbors noting. The laptop was easy. Ox had worn a bulky sweatshirt and underneath there was a strap where he could safely store the laptop. It was the safe that would be the problem.

Ox went ahead and when he confirmed that there were no neighbors around, quickly ran to open their own backdoor. Carter bolted across the lawn, throwing the safe ahead of him which Ox swiftly caught.

Somehow, they’d done it. They’d gotten away with it all.

Carter tackled Ox to the ground and peppered his face with kisses. Ox pushed him off with a laugh. From behind them, someone said “I see you guys took this fake relationship seriously.”

Sitting at their kitchen table was Thomas Bennett - Carter’s father and head of Wolfsong. They both froze in shock and Carter grinned sheepishly at him. “Hi Dad.”

\---

Back at headquarters, they went through the data they found and hoped the information was good. If it was, they’d managed to uncover at least 5 bases for Omega as well as some plans Richard had been working on.

Ox and Carter sat awkwardly across from one another in the briefing room, waiting for the official meeting to begin.

“So,” they said at the same time.

“You first,” Carter offered.

“So now that we’re done, I guess you don’t have to pretend to be dating me anymore,” Ox said. He picked at his fingers, unable to look at his best friend. Being with him, even if was fake, was a paradise for him and he was afraid he might cry.

Carter slammed a hand on the table. “More like you don’t have to pretend to like me.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“This entire mission, I was trying to… to show you how much I cared, Ox. I’m not an expert actor, you know.”

“Well neither am I, asshole. I didn’t have anything to fake though.”

“Neither. Did. I.” Ox finally looked up at this and was surprised to see tears in Carter’s eyes. Carter never cried. “I never called this fake, not after the mission debriefing” Carter continued. “You were the one who insisted on calling it fake the entire time. I was living what I wanted to live.”

“I… I needed to protect my feelings, Carter.” Ox admitted. “I didn’t want to let myself fall too hard, especially when I’ve liked you for the majority of our lives.”

They sat in silence for a while, both processing the information. Finally, Carter spoke again. “The majority of our lives?”

Ox laughed, softly. “You were the reason I realized I was bi.”

“Hugh Jackman was my bi awakening. But you were the reason I wanted to be.”

Shakily, Ox reached out his hand to Carter, who took it and then pulled him across the table for a deep kiss. When they broke apart, Ox couldn’t find the words he wanted to say, but Carter said them for him.

“Ox Matheson, will you make this fake relationship real with me?”

From the doorway came clapping and they looked up to see Elizabeth Bennett, Carter’s mom, leaning against the doorway. “I thought you two would never ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come hang out with me on my Wolfsong blog, @carterbennett or on my main, @uscjean!


End file.
